API 560 Special Edition 500 Series Graphic Equalizer

Name: 560 Special Edition 500 Series Graphic Equalizer
Brand: API

10-band Graphic Equalizer, 500 Series, with 12dB of Boost/Cut Per Band, Silent Bypass, and Proportional Q - Vintage Cream

Item ID: API560SE

API 560 Special Edition 500 Series Graphic Equalizer

$ 1,095 .00

We Can Get It Fast!

While this isn't an item we normally stock, we can still get it to you as fast as possible due to our great relationship with API. Go ahead and place your order and we'll follow up shortly to let you know when to expect it. Estimated October 20, 2026

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API 560 Special Edition 500 Series Graphic Equalizer

We Can Get It Fast!

$ 1,095 .00

The Iconic API 560 Graphic Equalizer

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Our Product Research Team

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For over a half-century, the API 560 has been the hands-down choice of audio professionals who appreciate the operational efficiencies of a graphic equalizer Originally designed for mounting in API large-format boards of the 1970s, the 560 EQ is unique in the fact that it manages to shoehorn the quick intuitiveness of a 10-band graphic equalizer into the tidy 500 Series format. As such, it offers sound balancing and signal sweetening solutions that no other console equalizer can. With the 560’s visual curve shaping and zero detents, it’s exceptionally fast to tweak and recall settings. Based on the original design, today’s API 560 Special Edition celebrates this iconic 500 Series module with a limited run in a gorgeous vintage cream finish.

Remarkably effective sound-shaping capabilities

The 560 Special Edition incorporates API’s discrete circuitry and components (including the 2520 op-amp) while featuring improved resolution in the ±4dB region. A perfect companion for a parametric EQ, the 560’s Proportional Q design broadens the filter bandwidth at lower boost/cut levels while narrowing it at higher settings. Moreover, the boost and cut characteristics are identical, making it easy to “undo” committed equalization after the fact. Combining Proportional Q circuitry with API’s proprietary 2520 op-amp, the 560 gives engineers access to acoustically superior EQ that’s quick and easy to deploy. Its 10 bands provide remarkably effective sound-shaping capabilities over the critical frequency range of 31Hz to 16kHz.

The powerful punch of API’s 2520 op-amp

Another Saul Walker invention, the 2520 operational amplifier used in the API 560 offers the generous headroom necessary for consistent analog sound quality, even when presented with radical equalization curves. Notably, the 2520’s capacity for driving low impedance loads is critical when it is mated to API’s proprietary Proportional Q circuitry. The superior results are quite audible with optimized low-frequency reproduction, crisper midrange, and high-frequency imaging, delivering that inimitable, massive API “punch-in-the-gut” sound that jumps right out of the speakers.

API’s 500 Series: long-term flexibility, lasting value

The beauty of the 500 Series is its long-term flexibility — especially when you consider that your needs will likely change over time. With a range of mounting frame options, it’s easy to reconfigure your 500 Series rig to suit the gamut of studio environments. The API 560 will be a valuable asset in your ever-changing studio setup. And because API invented the 500 Series format, you can be assured that your 560 Special Edition is a wise investment. From the satisfying damped feel of its knobs to the excellent results it produces, the 560 is a pure joy to use. Add a pair — or more — to your rack, and you’ll understand why the API 560 is a true classic.

Built for the long haul

Since the 1970s, API’s large-format consoles have been prized for their robust, mil-spec build quality. This is borne out by the impressive number of vintage APIs still in daily service around the world. Back in the Golden Age of Analog, pro audio equipment was meticulously assembled and wired by hand using fully discrete circuit designs and military-grade components — factors to which the timelessly superior sound and performance of coveted vintage gear are often attributed. And that is precisely how API builds its consoles and outboard gear today. Your API 560 Special Edition EQ is built to reliably deliver superior performance and sound, session after session, over decades of faithful service.

API: an American pro audio legend

Launched in 1968 by Saul Walker, Automated Processes Inc. began building high-quality consoles for broadcast applications. Soon, the company’s products found favor with recording studios, and a string of industry-leading innovations (including the 500 Series module, the first VCA, computerized console automation, and more) followed. API produced the 2520 amplifier, one of the most famous op-amps in the recording industry, and its consoles and products found homes in such iconic studio facilities as the Hit Factory, Record Plant, Ocean Way, Sunset Sound, and many others. In fact, there are over 700 vintage API consoles around the globe — many of which are still in use. Clearly, the company isn’t resting on its laurels; today’s API products give you the same unbeatable combination of utility, innovation, and stellar sound. That’s why, at Sweetwater, the name API commands reverence.